The government of Cote d’Ivoire has declared a state of emergency,  imposing a dusk-to-dawn curfew as political tensions escalate in a dispute about the country’s upcoming presidential elections.  G. Boakye-Dankwa, a Seventh-day Adventist Church leader in the region, has appealed for continued prayers for peace.  He reports that the streets of Abidjan stand “empty and deserted,” but that no one knows how long the uneasy calm will hold.  He says that there is an increased military and police presence throughout the city and outlying areas.

“The sad thing about this confusion is that it is coming in the wake of a planned women’s evangelistic [series] in all the churches in Cote d’Ivoire this month,” said Boakye-Dankwa in a report to church leaders.  He notes that the curfew will make evening meetings impossible and says that some areas of Abidjan have been declared “no meeting zones.” [See ANN’s report on the women-led evangelistic series in the October 3 ANN Bulletin.]

On October 5, Christians around the country held a day of fasting and prayer for peace, with Muslims holding a similar vigil the following day.

The civil unrest in Cote d’Ivoire stems from a dispute between leaders of the country’s political opposition parties and the ruling military junta, which took power in a coup in December last year. Twenty candidates had submitted applications to be on the presidential ticket in the October 22 elections.  On October 6, Cote d’Ivoire’s Supreme Court invalidated all but five of the candidates.  According to news wire reports, the court decision has fueled allegations that the democratic process is being subverted and that upcoming elections will not be free and fair.